The Light
by lildreamer7
Summary: Light. Blinding white light. He shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to understand what was going on. Where was everyone? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was that apartment building exploding...with him in it! Was he dead?


**Title:** The Light 

**Author:** lildreamer

**Rating:** K+

**Pairings:** None

**Spoilers:** S2 finale

**Summary:** Light. Blinding, white light. He shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to understand what was going on. Where was everyone? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was that apartment building exploding…with him in it! Was he dead?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI: NY or any of its characters. They belong to CBS, not me.

**All right, on with the story…**

_Squeeze my hand…_

Light. Blinding, white light. He shielded his eyes with his hand, trying to understand what was going on. Where was everyone? Where was he? The last thing he remembered was that apartment building exploding…with him in it! Was he dead?

Before his mind could process that thought, the light shifted. The rays danced around as a figure appeared within the light. He squinted, straining his eyes to see who it was.

"Hello?" His voice echoed into the light.

The figure did not answer. As it stepped closer and closer, the shape of a woman became apparent.

"Who are you?"

The light dimmed as she came into focus. His eyes flashed with recognition. She frowned at him, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I leave and look at the mess you get yourself into."

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

Mac jerked his head around at the offending sound, his eyes wide with horror.

The normal _beep-beep-beep_ of the vital-signs monitor had suddenly turned into a single note of alarm. He let go of his friend's hand and was halfway to the door when it burst open and a doctor ran in, followed by several nurses pushing a crash cart.

"I'm sorry. You're not supposed to be in here," one of the nurses said, escorting him out of the room.

He watched from the hallway, his thoughts spinning crazily, as they bent over his friend. The urgent back-and-forth of the doctor and nurses was jumbled in the commotion. He was oblivious of the woman who had appeared beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was so distracted by what was going on inside the room that he didn't notice two men and another woman come to stand next to him.

His mind was on the young detective lying in that room, fighting for his life. _You gotta hold on. Please, hold on…_

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

Don gasped, hardly believing his eyes. "Aiden?"

The corner of her lips lifted slightly then she turned and walked away without any explanation. He stared at her retreating figure for a moment, his brow furrowed, then followed. The light glowed brighter as it swallowed her up. He stared, dumbfounded, at the empty spot where she had been only moments ago. Then, before he could react, wisps of light surrounded him, enveloping him within it. He shut his eyes, momentarily blinded by the burst of pure, white light.

When he opened his eyes again, the light had dimmed considerably and his surroundings had changed. It was like a dream. He was standing on what looked like a pier and docked there was the largest, most beautiful cruise ship he had ever seen. He was gazing at it in wonder when he finally noticed he wasn't alone. There were people everywhere. From every walk of life. Tall and short. Young and old.

Several of them were standing in line on the pier, waiting to be given permission to board. Others had already passed that and were making there way up the ramp and into the ship. He was watching an old man head inside when he noticed Aiden on board. She was standing near the bow, gazing out at the ocean of light that surrounded them. She turned and their eyes met for a moment before she walked away, disappearing from his line of view.

Without thinking, he dashed toward the ramp. He was immediately stopped by a couple of men in sailor's uniforms.

"Name?" one of them asked.

Don ignored him and tried to push forward, but found that he couldn't move. The sailors had an iron grip on him.

"Name?" the sailor pressed.

"The name's Flack, alright!" he answered with obvious annoyance. "Donald Flack Jr."

To his surprise, the sailors smiled, releasing him. One of the sailors was now holding a clipboard and was thumbing through the seemingly endless pages.

"Ah, there we are," he said, stopping at a page. "It looks like you _are_ on the manifest."

The other sailor smiled, shaking the confused detective's hand. "Welcome aboard, my friend."

"Uh, thanks." Don headed on board, still completely puzzled, as the sailors let him pass.

He immediately headed toward where he'd last seen his friend. When he got there, he found her standing nearby, staring down at the water. If she'd heard him approach, she didn't show it.

"You don't belong here," she said bluntly, her eyes remaining fixed on the water.

"Where _is_ _here_?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

"You don't know?" she asked, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Well, the last thing I remember is the explosion and then…" His eyes widened. "Hold on. Are you saying I'm…?"

She finally turned around to face him, shaking her head. "You're not dead. But if you don't get off this boat soon, you will be."

As she finished her sentence a foghorn blared above them.

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsiciscsi**

"What's going on?" Mac asked the doctor, watching him and the nurses working furiously over his friend. "I thought he was stable! What happened?"

"I'm not sure," the doctor answered as he continued to administer CPR. "But I'm afraid your friend's heart has stopped."

"What does that mean?"

Sheldon answered for the doctor, glancing past his friends at the man lying in the hospital bed, with a look of infinite sadness. "He's dying."

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

"That's the second boarding call," Aiden explained. "There's gonna be one more. You have to go, now!"

"What do I have to go back for?"

"There are people—friends who depend on you."

"They'll be fine without me," Don insisted.

"You willing to bet on that?" she asked seriously. "There's something you need to see."

He eyed her curiously as she walked up to him and touched his shoulder.

"Open your eyes…"

_FLASH!_

Don froze where he stood, hardly breathing, nothing moving but his eyes as he scanned left and right, taking in scenery he wasn't ready to believe. He was standing in the middle of a very well kept living room. A noise from behind caught his attention and he spun around to see what it was. What he found was Mac searching through a cluttered desk for something, presumably evidence. He watched his friend in amazement. How did he end up here?

As he continued to watch, a large, menacing man suddenly slithered out of the shadows and held a gun to the back of Mac's head. He immediately dropped what he was doing and raised his hands in the air. Don could see the murderous look in the man's eyes as he cocked the gun.

"Mac!" he shouted, but neither man could see nor hear him.

Mac closed his eyes, recognizing that the situation was hopeless. He had been caught alone and off guard. Then, without warning, the man pulled the trigger.

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

As Mac heard his friend's words, his eyes filled with tears. Those words meant that it was time to stop fighting…because they wouldn't win.

Mac felt Stella sag next to him and begin to sob. He took her in both arms and held her, trying to choke back the knot in his own throat. He glanced over at the rest of his team and found Lindsay and Danny trying to comfort each other. Sheldon had sunk into a nearby chair, his face in his hands.

He then looked back into his friend's room, the doctors and nurses still working at a feverish pace, refusing to give up on their patient.

_This isn't really happening. You have too much to live for. You can't die…_

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

_FLASH!_

Don's surroundings had altered again and he was standing on the cruise ship once more. Aiden was staring expectantly at him, her hand back at her side.

"What the heck was that!" he asked, visibly shaken by what he had witnessed.

"That was the future," she answered plainly.

"That—that can't be." He shook his head. "Someone has to stop this!"

"There's just one problem: the only person that can stop him is dead." She saw the awareness flash in his eyes. "Yeah, I'm talking about _you_."

He stared at her, incredulously. "What does my dying have anything to do with this?"

"When you're alive, everything you do has an effect on others," Aiden explained. "Same when you die. Sometimes all it takes is one person to make a difference."

"I have to go back…" Don almost whispered. "If I stay here, one of my best friends is gonna die."

Aiden smiled, glad that he was beginning to understand. But her smile immediately faded when the foghorn howled above them once more, signaling the final call.

"Crap! Not now!"

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

Mac and the rest of his team had to force themselves to watch as a nurse held the electric pads, waiting for the doctor's okay. He tore open his patient's shirt, preparing for what he had to do.

"Give me two-sixty!" The doctor grabbed the pads from her and placed them on the detective's bare chest.

"Clear!"

Don's body jerked as volts of electricity coursed through it, but his heart did not respond.

"Again!"

The pads were replaced, giving his body another shock. Still no response.

"Three hundred!" The doctor ordered, upping the dose of power.

The detective's body jerked harder, but his heart did nothing. Mac heard every word and saw the room tilt as his mind began to shut down.

"Again…!"

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

"You have to get off this ship, _now_!" Aiden said urgently.

Together, they dashed through the ship, pushing past other passengers haphazardly, practically knocking them down. They finally found a clear path through a door, through the hallway, down the stairs, through another the door. After finding their way through the ship's maze of corridors, they spotted the exit and made a beeline toward it. The last-minute passengers were hurrying up the ramp, the ship's crew ushering them forward.

Don dashed down the walk and stepped onto the ramp. He paused mid-step when he noticed that Aiden was no longer following him. He turned on his heel and found her standing at the top of the ramp, watching him.

"Aiden, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

She didn't move.

"You coming or not?" he asked, coming to stand in front of her.

She shook her head, sadly. "I can't."

"What?"

"My time is up. I can't go back."

Don smiled softly, understanding, and pulled her into a hug.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Aiden brushed a tear from her eye as she hugged him back. "This isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again."

The detective nodded solemnly as he pulled away from her. She kissed his cheek and sent him on his way.

"Thank Mac for me, will you?" she called as he headed down the ramp. "For keeping his promise. And tell Stella I said thank you for being my 'big sister.' And tell Sheldon I appreciate what he did. He gave me back my identity."

Don could barely hear her now, her voice becoming distant.

"Oh, and tell Mac that Claire says it's okay." He glanced over his shoulder, unsure of what that meant. Aiden chuckled. "He'll understand."

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

The doctor was about to use the pads again, but immediately stopped when the vital-signs monitor's tone suddenly changed.

"We've got a rhythm on him!" a nurse announced, drawing the CSIs' attention.

Their heads shot up, a new hope filling their eyes.

"Thank God," Mac breathed.

"It's not over," the doctor said, still uneasy about his patient's condition. "He's gotta keep fighting. He's not on solid ground, yet."

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

"Where do I go, now?" Don asked as he reached the foot of the ramp.

"Your heart will lead you home…"

"Huh?" He didn't understand. "Now is not a good time to be cryptic."

Aiden didn't seem to hear him and just gave him her final message. "Please, tell Danny that I love him, too. I always have…"

Her voice faded into the distance, as did the magnificent cruise ship, floating away into the sunset.

"Goodbye, Aiden…"

**csicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsi**

The doctor stared at the vital-signs monitor in surprise as the beeping gradually became normal. Don's eyelids began to flicker.

"He's coming out of it!" he stared at his patient, wide-eyed. "He's stabilizing!"

Everyone ran into the room, no one stopping them, as the detective's eyes fluttered open for the first time since he'd been injured.

The doctor shook his head in amazement. "Your friend is quite a fighter, Det. Taylor!"

"I know." Mac agreed, beaming.

Don's eyes rolled about lazily for a moment, trying to focus on something, and finally, after a few blinks, he recognized his friends, standing around his bed. There was Mac, Stella, Danny, Lindsay, and Sheldon. They were all grinning at him, then grinning at each other, looking so happy they looked silly. Pent-up emotions flowed from almost every pair of eyes in the room. Even Mac allowed himself a sniffle.

"Welcome back, Don."

A single tear slid down the young detective's cheek.

_There's no place like home…_

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